11 Of My Favorite Hidden Features In iOS 11

Apple launched iOS 11 for iPad and iPhone. You’ll see it show up on iPhone 8 and iPhone X in a few weeks, and a month or so, respectively. iOS 11 is an interesting update. There is much to like, much to learn, and much under the new hood.

I’ve been running iOS 11 on an older iPad and iPhone for a few weeks. Last week, with the Golden Master version, I upgraded my new iPad Pro and iPhone 7 Plus. Other than a flurry of new application updates, it’s been a good upgrade with few gotchas, hiccups, or glitches. Here’s what I like.

Hidden But Not

I know iPhone and iPad users who have no idea what Notification Center is or where to find Control Center. Well, in iOS 11, a few things have changed. Here are 11 of my favorites.

Control Center – Now, when you slide up from the bottom of the iPhone or iPad’s screen you get fully revamped Control Center. Where is AirPlay? It’s in the Music area. Don’t ask why. Control Center widgets are customizable now.

Emergency Mode – Got a problem? Now when you press the sleep-wake button five times you will activate the new Emergency Mode. It disables Touch ID or Face ID, and gives you quick access to Emergency SOS and 911.

Apple Maps – Remember when everyone hated Apple Maps? Those days are gone. Maps now has maps of airports and shopping malls, including restaurants and floors. You may have to wait awhile for a mall map to show up in Peoria.

Password Sharing – Yeah, it’s a thing. But only for Wi-Fi access. So, you have a friend over and they need to access your Wi-Fi but you don’t want to give them that long, convoluted, impossible to remember password. iOS 11 has this nifty feature where your friend’s iOS device will ask you to share the Wi-Fi password without actually giving it to them. It’s a one-time-only thing but drop dead easy.

Got AirPod? – Use iOS 11 to customize the shortcuts to use in AirPods.

Screen Recording – Yes, the Mac has had an option in QuickTime to record the screen, but now it’s on iOS 11. Open Control Center, press the Recording button and the iPhone or iPad records whatever you do on the screen. Very cool. Plus, it saves the video to Photos.

Do Not Disturb While Driving – Yeah, funny thing, people answer their iPhones while driving, and often try to respond to a text. Do Not Disturb will silence notifications until you’re not moving anymore.

QR Codes – Sure, there are 127 QR code and barcode scanner apps available for iOS, but now Apple has it built-in to Camera. Point the camera at a QR code, the Camera knows what it is, and responds appropriately. No more looking for an app you don’t use often enough to know where it is on your iPhone.

Notes – One of my favorite iOS apps just got bunches better. It can index your handwriting, scan documents, and sync with Mac and iPad.

Smaller Photos & Videos – Thanks to Apple pushing the new HEIF and HEVC photo and video compression standards, your photos and videos will be smaller but have the same quality. And, it converts each to JPG and MP4 respectively when you share with others.

App Killers – Any iPhone user with 16GB or 32GB will love this. It’s in the App Store’s settings, but your iPhone can now delete apps when space runs low. Need the app again? iOS 11 will download it from the App Store for you.

The thing to remember about each new iOS update is that Apple makes your older iPhones and iPads work better. How’s that for a bargain that most Android devices cannot match?

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About Wil Gomez

I live in Brooklyn, New York and work in Manhattan; a Mac owner for almost 25 years, and an IT specialist on mixed platforms-- Mac, Windows, and Linux. Read more of my articles here. My fiancée is semi-famous Kate MacKenzie. Follow her on PixoBebo.

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